Veteran
by Negai Liu
Summary: Ness knows he's part of the Original 12. So do Luigi, Link, Samus and the others. But what if there had been a smasher before him? Prequel to the original Super Smash Bros. No OCs.


_**This was an idea that I had for awhile, which came from playing brawl after I had heard about the new Super Smash Bros. Like some other Mother fans (I think), I hope Ninten will be in the next Smash Bros., but in all honesty, I don't think he will make it.**_

_**Off that, this story is a prequel to Super Smash Bros. (the original), where a story that had never been told, will be. Because as it turns out, Ness wasn't the first 'Mother' representative...  
**_

* * *

It was the first time he had ever been formally invited anywhere.

It had been an uneventful day that time. His sisters were busy playing with their dolls and his mother was busy washing. He had been trying to read a book before mail arrived. Realising that no one else had noticed (rather annoyingly), he put down the book and went to retrieve the mail. Having looked through them, he found a slightly worn letter, addressed to him, with his address and strangely, the word 'Earthbound' on it, along with a symbol of Earth, which he swore he saw gleam when he touched it.

"Odd… doesn't look like it's from Ana or Loid, let alone Teddy…"

He shrugged, thankful that he had **something** to mull over about. It was better than trying to read the boring text that he was assigned to for English.

Chucking the other letters onto the kitchen table, he sat down and examined the musty old letter. It was a light brown colour, like a coffee stain. Its texture seemed to suggest it had been wet, crushed, abandoned, then taken out from the back of the draws. Its smell was reminded him of some sort of Italian dish, like pasta. It turned out though, that there had been an oil stain on the back, emitting that very smell.

Fingering the Earth seal, he tore it half and peered inside. The paper used to write the letter on was equally as old, if not older. He was glad not to find dust, for his mother would have ordered him to clean it up immediately.

He unfolded the paper. The message had been written in unbelievably straight handwriting.

"Dear Ninten,

It is my greatest pleasure to inform you that you have been allocated a place in the Super Smash Brothers tournament. Please find attached your registry form, which you must complete by today.

We hope to see you there.

- Master Hand

P.S. You will know where to teleport."

The first thing he thought when he had read the letter, was that it was a prank. After all, he hadn't tried out for anything, let alone a tournament. The sender's identification was also debatable.

But the fact that he… it… erm, whatever it was, knew that he had the ability to teleport was rather concerning.

He looked inside the letter to find the mentioned registry form. It was the same size as the main letter.

**SUPER SMASH BROTHERS SMASHER INFORMATION**

The following is an explanation for the rules and accommodation for the Super Smash Brothers. Tournament.

After you have officially registered with Master Hand, you will be deemed a full-time 'Smasher' and will stay in Smash Mansion. You will be given food, water, bathrooms and any other necessities you may need.

The tournament will last for a year. During this time, no Smasher is allowed to leave Smash Mansion without the consent of Master Hand. Any Smasher that breaks this rule will receive punishment appropriate for the situation.

The tournament will consist of organised matches between you and other warriors from different realms. The matches are specially designed for non-lethal hits and blows, to avoid casualties and deaths.

For fair matches, your powers will be reduced to the same level as the others.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask Master Hand.

**REGISTRY FORM (turn the paper around)**

He flipped to the back.

**REGISTRY FORM**

**NAME:**

**AGE:**

**REALM:**

**FAVOURITE FOOD:**

**PREFERRED TYPE OF ROOMATE (HUMAN OR NON-HUMAN):**

**ANY OTHER THINGS YOU WISH TO NOTE:**

**I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF A FULL-TIME SMASHER AND WILL ABIDE TO THE RULES OF THE TOURNAMENT.**

**SIGNATURE:**

He paused, taking a moment to absorb all this. The opportunity to pit himself against heroes from different worlds…

"Hmm…" he pondered. "Sounds pretty interesting but…"

He looked out the window, watching his mother hanging up a coat.

"Will they be alright? This could all be some sort of trick to lead me away…" he thought. "If anyone wanted to harm them, I wouldn't be able to come back to help. If whoever this guy is targeting my family… would they also attack Ana and the others?"

He stared hard at the paper in front of him, mulling over it as he had intended to do.

"I need to talk with everyone first."

XXXXX

"I vote no." Ana immediately said, looking at the paper. "You don't even know who this person is, and you're actually considering joining this 'tournament'?!"

"Well, to be fair, it looks legit."

"Looks can be deceiving, Ninten," Loid noted. "Do you have any proof that this 'Master Hand' even exists?"

"That's why I want to go. That, and because the idea of being able to fight against other people sounds pretty cool."

"Well, little dude, I can't argue with you there, but maybe you should tell your family first." Teddy suggested.

"I have. Mum seems pretty lenient about it, and Mimmie and Minnie say that they'll be fine while I'm gone. As for dad…"

He paused, but continued

"I didn't ask him, but it won't be problematic, will it?"

"I'm still against it…" Ana stubbornly insisted, hands on her hips.

"Ana, I'll be fine. Besides, if it is some sort of trick, I could always teleport back or just make sure they wished they'd never tried to trick me."

He punched his fist into his other hand, a spark of PSI igniting as he did so. Ana turned to Loid, asking for his opinion.

"I honestly don't know what to do in this situation. I know the evidence here is pretty slim, but…"

Loid smiled. "I think Ninten has what it takes to get out of the situation should it turn out to be a fraud."

Ninten grinned. "Thanks Loid."

Then, he turned to Ana. "Well, li'l Miss. No-You-Shouldn't, does that convince you?"

Ana sighed in defeat. "Alright, but… Promise me you'll come back, okay?"

"Of course, Ana. I'll come back with the trophy, you'll see!"

"That aside," began Loid, holding up the piece of paper. "You should fill in the form. It's late."

"Oh right. Will do."

He grabbed the pen and starting scribbling down his details, disregarding how horrible his handwriting was compared to the print. The moment he finished signing his name, a bright flash filled his vision, but for only a moment.

An Earth symbol identical to the seal on the envelope now lay in front of him, glowing faintly. As he watched blue light, a powerful feeling made itself known.

He let his hand run over it, but pulled back when it suddenly came to life, snapping itself firmly onto the back of his left hand and sinking into his skin. An image briefly flashed through his mind, depicting a large mansion in the midst of nowhere.

He spoke uncontrollably, "Teleport."

In an instant, he was gone.

XXXXX

The first thing his mind registered was a faint wind blowing, followed by the realisation that his friends were absent, then the presence of the registry form dangling from his hand.

And a massive, grand mansion towering over him.

"Now how did I not notice that before…?" he thought sarcastically to himself.

Remembering what had happened, he looked at his left hand, and felt slightly alarmed at the brightly pulsing mark still attached into his hand. He tried taking it off, but was shocked to find that it had been almost engraved into his hand, like a tattoo.

"Okay, when I find this Master Hand guy, I'm going to get him to remove it; by force if I have to."

He observed his surroundings, taking in the fresh air that he cherished back home.

"The place is rather decent," he thought, scanning his surroundings. "There's some plant life and the air's pretty fresh, but would it kill them to lighten up the place a little?"

Approaching the wide doors rather hesitantly, he stood surveying the little details of the design before deciding that whatever he had been doing for the last 3 seconds was stupid. With his left hand ready to launch a PK Beam* if anyone dared to attack, he shoved the doors open with a loud creak.

A massive interior leading to an equally massive hall lined with a dull carpet welcomed him.

…Along with a floating white glove holding what looked to be a ray gun.

"CRAP- PK BEAM!"

"WAIT!"

The PSI attack rocketed from his hand and smacked the glove straight in the… uh, front part of the fingers, creating a mini-explosion. Ninten sprung backwards, preparing to launch another PK Beam, before he was tackled from the back onto the ground.

He struggled, before his body froze at the sound of a gun click.

"Don't move." a voice muttered.

* * *

_**Perhaps it was too cruel to end with a cliffhanger?**_

_**I'd be happy to know what you thought of this first chapter. Criticism I will welcome with open arms, but anything's fine. :) **_

_**And I must ask: should this be put into the 'Earthbound/Super Smash Brothers' crossover section? I'm not quite sure where this belongs...**_

_**Enjoy your day!**_


End file.
